[Al Skierkiewicz]

F,
You need to show them how important this program is and what it means for students. If you are attending a regional in your area, invite them and the school board to attend. Get them team Tshirts and get them into the stands to watch and cheer. Let them walk around like a team member and see the effect it would have on other students. A few bad apples in a single year do not represent the entire program.
If any administrator would like to discuss this, have them PM me and we can exchange email addresses or phone numbers. If you are close or attending either the Midwest, Boilermaker or the Minnesota regional, have them come and meet me in the pits and I will try and show them the effects and relate to them how much this program means. Yes every team will have someone who gets out of line, even us. I can tell you that one of those people reversed his ways, accepted the imposed 1 year removal from the team but came back with a vow to be the best he could be. He proved it and became driver that last year as well as a model mechanical pit crew member.
I believe FIRST puts more students on the road to college and further success than any other program currently in schools. You can't fight that kind of success.